[Gocamino] "Translatio" (of Saint James)

[Rosina]

Hello you all,
In a nutshell, Santiago historical lore tells us that after St. James was decapitated by the Jewish king Herod in the year 47 A.D.  James' disciples Theodore and Atanasio got hold of his body and placing it in an old ratty boat they set  asea to "wherever the waters would take them". The boat landed in the Galician coast close to the Celtic-Roman city of Iris Flavia, close to the present day's Padron. The, erstwhile pagan. queen of the environs, Lupa, transfixed by the surprising qualities of the cadaver, provided Theodore and Atanasio with a cart and gave them the choice of two untamed and brave bulls to pull the cart and take the cadaver inland. Miraculously the two bulls behaved like the most tame of animals and, unbidden, followed a route to the spot where St. James was buried and wherein the cadaver remained until nearly eight centuries later a path of stars led Bishop Pelagio to it..... and the rest, we all know.
The carrying of the body in a cart led by the bulls is commemorated as the "Translatio". (The etymological Latin origin of the word "Translate" was to move from one land to another. In modern Spanish the word is "transladar", whereas going from one language to another is "traducir").
Today the festivity of "Translatio" is celebrated in Santiago in a big way. At the Cathedral a solemn Mass, attended by Government and Royal representatives, is celebrated at 11:00 a.m; before the Mass a symbolic procession "translating" the body of Saint James takes place .At 6.00 p.m. there is a special  Mass for families.  At 7:30 p.m. tere is a  Mass for pilgrims at the end of which new members of the Archconfraternity receive their recognition medals.
The times when I have been in Santiago for the Translatio celebration there was much bag-pipe music playing around the Cathedral, and many Mass attendees were dressed in regional Galician dress. Some had brought a cart pulled by oxen (not brave bulls). The music was unforgettable.
I have managed to scan a ceramic plaque of the "Traslatio", and a card showing the body being taken from the boat first, and then pulled in the cart by the bulls. These images come from  medieval paintings. 
One cannot add attachments to list-servs messages, but I will be delighted to send them to those of you who may want to get them. 
Wishing you a Camino in the New Year,
Hugs!
Rosina